This seems sensible, but likely difficult to administrate. At what point do we say it’s “too late” in the day to start another set of super overs? 11pm? At some grounds, the lighting may be inadequate to allow cricket to be played past a certain time. It seems to me that one super over is good, two superovers permissible, but more than that a little questionable

This is a great idea. Like you say, boundary and wicket countbacks neglect the objective of 50-over cricket: to score as many runs as you can in as short a period of time as possible.

It’s hard to find a good comparison for viewing stats and the fact that the cricket is not fta makes that task even harder. But the message here is absolutely true. 11.7 million people watched on in England for their semi vs the USA. That’s nearly 20% of the population. Those aren’t numbers that can be fluked and that suggest a genuine interest in the game.

Point taken. But I think what’s so important here is that (1) so many people still chose to watch the Lionesses instead of watching nothing (which may have historically been the case) and (2) these are not trivial numbers – the Guardian reports 11.7 million viewers in England of England vs USA). There are literally millions of people tuning in, not just a few hundred thousand. Some (very rough) number crunching suggests to me that 7 million out of 55 million (12.7ish%) English people watched the Lionesses game, while across the roughly 10 million households with Sky (let’s call it 30 million people, the cricket only managed 500,000 views (that’s about 1.6%).

Very rough numbers, and it’s hard to really know what the comparison should be, but I think there’s definitely reason to believe that women’s football is on the rise. (fwiw, I absolutely condemn national team sport being hidden behind a paywall like it is in England.)

At the point at which viewership for the Lionesses outnumbers the mens cricket team by 10 to 1, I think it’s fair to say that there’s more at play than just the availability of the game. People are drawn in by the positive attitude that the team, led by Phil Neville, has shown. If more people are caring about football, then that’s a good thing for the game

Agreed. And I also think that people who focus on the “speed and strength” side of things as the measure of how good a sporting contest is miss something. We love sport because it means something to us, and because we love to see a really good contest. The Socceroos 2005 Playoff triumph over Uruguay was not a technical masterclass, nor were we the most physically brilliant team in the world. But that night will remain one of the most important in Australian football history for what it meant to the people.

I’d also point to the WBBL semi finals this season as an example of a riveting contest. Those two matches were perhaps the best of the whole summer!

Fantastic read. As a young football fan who can’t remember anything before the A-League in it’s current form, I’m fascinated by how deeply cultural some of the teams were. I’d love to hear more about it!

Obviously there are some nuances to the team in various formats but CA’s ridiculous scheduling starves players of the chance to prove themselves. I seem to recall last IPL that Jos Buttler’s red-hot IPL form translated in to his selection in the test side, and Adil Rashid was bowling so potently with the white ball that he found himself picked to bowl with the red ball for England despite declining to sign a first-class contract. Elsewhere, Jasprit Bumrah shows that the form of one can translate into form in another format.

There are some players that are just plain classy. I think for example that the fact that Wade has scored a mountain of runs in the BBL as well as plenty in the shield (and at pretty tough times, scoring at about 54) shows that he can probably find an inbetween. Is the solution to these woes to schedule more domestic 50-over cricket? I think it might be

We definitely rely on those two, but doesn’t every side? I think Jhye Richardson (if he’s fit) is in red-hot form and can seriously trouble the best (as he showed in the last dozen or so matches) and while I’m not sure of Bherendorff, Coulter-Nile, Starc, or Hazelwood, my suspicion is that one of them will really have a good IPL or will click at the tournament and solve that problem for us.

Agar’s injuries have been a shame, and I think Lyon’s case for selection looks better than it is because his matches have been played on turning decks in the subcontinent. Agar proved himself in England last year, and has been consistently strong in the BBL through injury. A shame to see him on the outer

I think Short has been a bit unlucky in that he’s come onto the scene a bit too late to be really considered. His BBL form would, in a non-world cup year, be enough to earn him a game. But I think he and Wade both suffer from the fact that the selectors want to tinker with their current stocks in teh last 10 matches before the tournament, rather than totally revamp the side by introducing new names. Short looks a player for the future. We might well see more of him after the world cup

I think you’re largely right here, Paul. Some of these are victims of their form not quite being where it has been, while others hit their straps. I think Agar, Wade, and Head have the most reason to feel hard done by. Agar and Head have been really good players, and I think Wade needs to be picked if the selectors are going to have any integrity to them in responding to the ‘score runs to get picked’ demand.

You’re right that Siddle and Pattinson aren’t in the frame at all, but that’s largely a product of so many good fast bowling options already existing. What does it say that we think they’re a chance for the Ashes, but not the World Cup? I think it says that we’ve got enough stock bowlers, and these two lack an X-factor to force their way into consideration (whereas Tye, K Richardson or J Richardson have their death-bowling pedigree, even if form has deserted some of them)

I totally agree re: the lucky ones. Hazelwood is a good seam bowler but he’s not been strong in a long time. The Aussie side is crying out for a quality ‘death’ bowler and if we were to go Cummins (a certain pick), Starc (raw pace, player of the tournament last WC), and HAzelwood then I don’t see one. That’s why the form of Jhye Richardson has been so good, and why it’s been so disappointing to see him injured and AJ Tye out of form. I think Warner will make it, but the scale of his impact on team morale is largely unknowable (but maybe that’s reason to not include him at all? The devil you know…). Smith needs to play seriously good cricket in the back end of this IPL. As it stands, I’m not sure he walks into the side.

Mate I can’t understand what more you’d want to see from Wade!! The man has been the standout player across the summer and has scored runs on all sorts of decks. It’s ridiculous that he’s not in the frame.

Michael Neser has also had a terrific summer, and has long been a high quality bowler. He has the potential to be a number 8 or even 7 who gives you 10 high quality overs but can also bat quite proficiently to get you out of trouble (as he did all summer for Queensland)

The volume of coverage has certainly been tremendous. One interesting problem that Fox and Seven both ran into at various points was a dilution in the quality of commentators and pundits at BBL games when they were on in the evening of a test match. Obviously this wasn’t a problem under the old model when 10 had exclusive coverage rights. I’ve really enjoyed the test coverage this year, but it will present a real conundrum for producers next season as they try to get the balance right

Australia should certainly not be discounted just yet. I’m a big fan of the idea of putting Warner to the middle order and allowing the Finch-Khawaja partnership to continue to flourish. He’s had considerable success there in the IPL in the past and has shown in the first few games that he can work the ball around really well and run hard between the wickets. I’d also question the order of the players you’ve picked. Marsh and Handscomb seem wasted so far down the order

I think those people were saying so on principled grounds. What Warner did was morally reprehensible, and based on what we’d previously seen of David Warner there was no way we thought he could change. Smith and Bancroft showed genuine remorse, but all that we’d ever seen from Warner was him being the ‘attack dog’. He’s shown a different side now, and on those grounds I’m prepared to offer him forgiveness. When he does return, he’ll be on very thin ice for a while, but if we’re serious about those punishments meaning anything, then once the bans have been served we ought to be able to give them a fresh start

To undermine my own argument: it’s also possible that the English pitches are worn and drier by the time the Ashes roll around. There will already have been a county season and a World Cup played on them, so they may lack some of the nip and greenery that English pitches have usually had in Ashes campaigns played a touch earlier in the summer. If this is the case, then perhaps the seamer / swing bowler loses his effectiveness, and express pace comes back into vogue to get that ‘something extra’ out of the pitch.

Both are relevant considerations, and for argument’s sake lets ignore that test. Siddle’s class remains clear given his excellent county record (especially in recent years) and improved domestic performances over the last few seasons. Australia has always loved a quick bowler in the mould of Lee, Johnson, or Starc. But some of our most successful bowlers in England were far from express. Think McGrath, Gillespie, Siddle. Even Mitch Marsh’s right arm ordinary picked up a 5fa last ashes.

I think a few things are relevant in considering here:
1. Finch and Khawaja are averaging 60+ since forming their partnership at the top of the order and are clearly in tremendous touch. To break up that unity is clearly a tricky task. Recall that Warner batted at 3 in the 2016 T20 world cup, such was the form of Finch and Uzzie
2. Warner has all the characteristics of a great middle overs player. He can defend well, can find the gaps, accelerate when needed, and also run really hard to put pressure on the field. It’s not such a preposterous consideration.
3. We praised the Finch-Khawaja opening partnership 6 months ago after the tests in the UAE. A swinging red ball undid that hard work. So the question of openers turns almost entirely on the type of pitch and conditions we see in England. England has played host to some of the highest scoring matches in recent years, and if it’s flat tracks then I back these two. If there’s a bit more through the air though, then maybe you do look at shielding one of them and opening with Warner, who’d be a bit more used to the swinging ball

I think we’ll be seeing a really different Warner if he does return. It’s clear that the attack dog (perfect metaphor!) isn’t what we’re looking for. Prior to his suspension, there had been some media coverage around his transformation from ‘the bull’ to ‘the reverend’, with players noting that the birth of his child brought on a new calmness. It’s clear that something or someone got under his skin in South Africa, and I think he’ll have had plenty of time to reflect on that now

I don’t agree that Smith and Bancroft have been grubs talking in the media, but I do agree with what you’re saying about Warner. My skepticism of him can only last so long before I believe that he is properly remorseful and a changed man. If it walks like a duck…

Siddle’s pedigree in England is undeniable. He had a superb county season there last year with 37 wickets in 7 matches, and was superb in the 5th test in 2015. Darren Lehman has gone on record recently saying it was a mistake not to pick him earlier in the Ashes campaign of 2015. I think the county season will do him a world of good and he’ll find himself a place in the touring squad. As others have pointed out though, there is unparalleled competition for bowling spots in the Australian XI which will certainly lead to a few disappointed players

For so long it looked like we weren’t going to be able to come back, but now that we’ve come back stronger I can’t help but agree with you. The whole side has been put on notice and made mortal by realising that the Australian public abhors cheating and ill-spirited play above all else. That’s why I think Paine has been such a tremendous captain for us. He digs in and plays gritty knocks to allow those around him to keep scoring and blunt the bowling attack. With so much new talent blooded in the last 12 months, it seems the future of Australian cricket is quite bright

I haven’t been so sure they’d return better, but Warner seems to be showing it, although Smith has been less impressive in his two outings so far.
As for my maths, you’re spot on! This just makes it all the more impressive I think. So a recount would suggest 47 singles and 18 twos across the whole SRH innings for 85 lengths and a staggering 1700m. His determination to get back for the second run and put the fielder under pressure was really incredible and I think it bodes well for an Australian return.

Kersi, I’m inclined to agree but I think the key difference here is that Ashwin didn’t warn Buttler. If Buttler’s backing up was seriously egregious then I don’t think I would have as much of a problem with it, but I am pretty disappointed that he acted the way he did given that I don’t think there was any ill will on the part of Buttler. I think Buttler has turned and is ready to play. It begs the question of whether we should put the explicit burden on the batsmen to watch the ball like you say. Maybe we should? Nonetheless, I think the ‘spirit of the game’ is all about whether someone is trying to fundamentally cheat the system to gain an unfair advantage. And no matter how much I look at it, I’m just not sure that Buttler ever means to do that